The convention theme, "Electrifying Democracy", focused on capacity- building workshops and panels that dealt with grassroots activism including ways to effectively speak, write, and communicate with state/local legislators. Other sessions included young voter issues, "Making Your League Job Easy" (MYLJE), Help America Vote Act (HAVA), Environmental Justice, and a special presentation from the coalition leader of Democracy Rising, Tim Potts. Early in the convention a special panel was convened to discuss civil liberties issues.

The Saturday Awards Dinner keynote speaker was Kay Maxwell, President of the League of Women Voters of the U.S., who spoke of LWVUS program priorities and national legislative issues. Earlier that day the League was challenged to fill a new role in candidate forums leading up to the next gubernatorial election by Pete DeCoursey, Harrisburg Bureau Chief for CapitolWire.

LWVPA President Liz Milner stated, "Action on Civil Liberties was a high priority. Civil Liberties programs included the need for open government, sunsetting of onerous provisions of the USA Patriot Act, implementation of the SAFE Act to correct other onerous provisions of the Patriot Act which are not due to sunset, and torture and rendition in U.S. detention and interrogation facilities." On the latter point, the delegates to the convention went on record that they overwhelmingly "oppose the use of torture and rendition (the outsourcing of torture) by the U.S. government and/or its agents" and stated, "they are violations of the Constitution of the United States and international law." The delegates also requested that the LWVUS "urge Congress to appoint an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate alleged incidents of torture and abuses committed by the U.S. in detention and interrogation facilities."

Source: League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania

CONTACT: Bonita C. Hoke, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of
Pennsylvania, +1-717-234-1576 x 15

Web site: http://pa.lwv.org/